Page 17 of Break

Nicole tucks her hair behind her ears, making her look adorable. “I was ashamed of myself.”

“Why?”

She shakes her head. “Because I wasn’t me that night.”

I beg your finest pardon. She wasexactlyherself that night. She showed us the real Nicole that no one else has gotten to see. Talk about a motherfucking honor.

“Who were you then?” I ask cautiously.

“Duchess.”

“Duchess.” I repeat. “And I was Trick.”

“Yes.”

Is she trying to pretend that I’m not the same person? Yes, the honorific brings a level of escapism and fantasy to the scene, but I’m still me. I’m still Landon. The goofy, mindful, wild card with a big appetite motherfucker who had her choking on his cock. Twice.

“And when you woke up, you weren’t Duchess anymore. You were Nicole.”

“Correct.”

“So, you ran.”

“Yes.”

Anger stirs in my chest. “Did you like Trick?”

“Yes,” she says, a little softer. “And I like Landon too. I know you’re the same person, but it just felt different. For me. Being called Duchess made me feel different.”

Okay. I can work with that. “Did you like the way you felt, Duchess?”

Her eyes flutter as she looks up at me. “Yes.”

Good. Because I’m going to make sure she feels that way again as soon as we understand what’s going on with her body and stress levels.

My mind clicks back into Dom mode. “What do you need from me, Duchess?”

Her breath hitches, but she doesn’t respond.

Okay. Let’s try this another way. “Lift your arms out of the water and rest them on the sides of the tub for me.”

She obeys with ease.

“Good girl.” I grab a washcloth and soak it before running it down her neck and shoulders. “When Kerrington gets back, I want you to take three sips of water. Not four. Not two.Three. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, Trick.”

My dick hardens immediately.

Kerrington walks in with perfect timing. I know he was listening on the other side of the door. He’s carrying a tray with a glass of ice water and a small plate of chocolate mousse with one spoon. I grab the glass and hand it to her.

She gulps it greedily. Three times.

Next, I hold up a spoonful of the chocolate dessert. “Open.”

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